How To: Make Pizza on the Grill

Making pizza on the grill was always something that intimidated me. Perhaps it was the stories of dough falling through the grates, pizzas folding in half when you try to get them off the grill, toppings falling off and lighting on fire, etc. I am pretty loyal to my pizza stone method, so I knew it would take some convincing to stray from my oven.

As summer approached, I started seeing grilled pizza recipes everywhere in the food blogging world. The more recipes I saw, the more intrigued I became. When the temperatures soared to over 90 degrees this week, I knew if I wanted to make pizza there was no way I was heating up my oven.

I was pleasantly surprised that making pizza on the grill is not as hard as it seems. The grill mimics a wood oven, which can give you that authentic pizzeria style crust. The smoke from the grill also help give your pizza more flavor.

After scanning many recipes, I found that the keys to making successful grilled pizza are:

Keep your grill well oiled – we have non-stick grates our or grill, and with a little oil we have no trouble removing the pizza from the grill

Make individual pizzas – instead of making one large pizza, make a few smaller pizzas. Once you get the hang of grilling pizza, and you know how your grill behaves you can try a large one.

Be prepared – these pizzas cook incredibly fast on the grill, so you’ll want to be sure you have all your toppings and equipment nearby and ready to go.

Use a sturdy dough – the pizza dough that comes out of a can is too flimsy for this recipe. Be sure to use a sturdier dough than can handle being flipped around.

If you follow these tips, you too can have sucessful pizza on the grill. Give it a try!

Directions:
Turn the grill to medium heat, and brush the grill grate with olive oil. Carefully place the dough on the hot grill. The dough will begin to puff almost immediately.

After 2-3 minutes, the bottom will be brown. Using tongs or a large metal spatula, turn the dough over.

Check out those beautiful grill marks!

Working quickly, add your sauce and toppings to the grilled side of the pizza. Close the lid and cook until the cheese melts. If the bottom is starting to brown too much, move the pizzas to a higher rack. When your cheese brown and bubbly, remove from the grill, and let cool for a few minutes before serving.